Saskatchewan mother searches Lower Mainland for missing daughter

The mother of a Saskatchewan teen that has been missing since the spring is canvassing the Lower Mainland for information after receiving recent tips from the Vancouver area.

Mekayla Bali was last seen in Yorkton, Sask. on April 12 at 1:45 p.m., her mother, Paula Bali, said, but since then there has been “zero information confirmed” as to what happened to her, or where she might have gone.

And while police have been following up on more than 100 tips, Paula and other supporters have been doing the same, canvassing areas – and putting up posters – that her daughter may have been seen.

A recent spate of tips – all from October – led Paula to the Metro Vancouver area. She spent time this week in various neighbourhoods – from Burrard Street near St. Paul’s Hospital to Burnaby’s Metrotown area to the Downtown Eastside.

“The police are doing everything they can, but they can’t be everywhere at once,” said Paula, who was in White Rock Thursday morning. “And as mom, there’s nothing in the world you wouldn’t do to find your kid.”

Bail plans to continue putting up posters this week, in the event someone has seen Mekayla, 17.

“We’re just looking to get her name out there.”

Though original reports suggested Mekayla was last seen at a bus station in Yorkton, her mother said it was later confirmed that she never bought a ticket nor boarded a bus, and was, in fact, only there for lunch at the adjoining restaurant.

Mekayla is described as Caucasian, about 5-foot-2 inches tall and 115 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and she occasionally wears dark-rimmed glasses.

The Yorkton community has also come together and, through donations, raised $25,000 as a reward for information leading to her safe return.